diff --git a/lldb/source/Plugins/SymbolFile/NativePDB/PdbUtil.h b/lldb/source/Plugins/SymbolFile/NativePDB/PdbUtil.h
--- a/lldb/source/Plugins/SymbolFile/NativePDB/PdbUtil.h
+++ b/lldb/source/Plugins/SymbolFile/NativePDB/PdbUtil.h
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@
 struct VariableInfo {
   llvm::StringRef name;
   llvm::codeview::TypeIndex type;
-  llvm::Optional<DWARFExpressionList> location;
+  DWARFExpressionList location;
   bool is_param;
 };
 
diff --git a/lldb/source/Plugins/SymbolFile/NativePDB/PdbUtil.cpp b/lldb/source/Plugins/SymbolFile/NativePDB/PdbUtil.cpp
--- a/lldb/source/Plugins/SymbolFile/NativePDB/PdbUtil.cpp
+++ b/lldb/source/Plugins/SymbolFile/NativePDB/PdbUtil.cpp
@@ -898,7 +898,6 @@
           loc_specifier_id.modi,
           loc_specifier_id.offset + loc_specifier_cvs.RecordData.size());
     }
-    result.location = DWARFExpressionList();
     for (const auto &entry : location_map) {
       DWARFExpression dwarf_expr =
           entry.data.is_dwarf ? entry.data.expr
@@ -906,7 +905,7 @@
                                     entry.data.offset_to_location,
                                     offset_to_size, type_size, module);
 
-      result.location->AddExpression(entry.GetRangeBase(), entry.GetRangeEnd(),
+      result.location.AddExpression(entry.GetRangeBase(), entry.GetRangeEnd(),
                                      dwarf_expr);
     }
     return result;
diff --git a/lldb/source/Plugins/SymbolFile/NativePDB/SymbolFileNativePDB.cpp b/lldb/source/Plugins/SymbolFile/NativePDB/SymbolFileNativePDB.cpp
--- a/lldb/source/Plugins/SymbolFile/NativePDB/SymbolFileNativePDB.cpp
+++ b/lldb/source/Plugins/SymbolFile/NativePDB/SymbolFileNativePDB.cpp
@@ -1729,12 +1729,14 @@
   func_block->GetStartAddress(addr);
   VariableInfo var_info =
       GetVariableLocationInfo(*m_index, var_id, *func_block, module);
-  if (!var_info.location || var_info.location->GetSize() == 0)
-    return nullptr;
   Function *func = func_block->CalculateSymbolContextFunction();
   if (!func)
-    return VariableSP();
-  var_info.location->SetFuncFileAddress(
+    return nullptr;
+  // Use empty dwarf expr if optimized away so that it won't be filtered out
+  // when lookuping local variables in this scope.
+  if (!var_info.location.IsValid())
+    var_info.location = DWARFExpressionList(module, DWARFExpression(), nullptr);
+  var_info.location.SetFuncFileAddress(
       func->GetAddressRange().GetBaseAddress().GetFileAddress());
   CompilandIndexItem *cii = m_index->compilands().GetCompiland(var_id.modi);
   CompUnitSP comp_unit_sp = GetOrCreateCompileUnit(*cii);
@@ -1756,11 +1758,10 @@
   Variable::RangeList scope_ranges;
   VariableSP var_sp = std::make_shared<Variable>(
       toOpaqueUid(var_id), name.c_str(), name.c_str(), sftype, var_scope,
-      &block, scope_ranges, &decl, *var_info.location, external, artificial,
+      &block, scope_ranges, &decl, var_info.location, external, artificial,
       location_is_constant_data, static_member);
   if (!is_param)
     m_ast->GetOrCreateVariableDecl(scope_id, var_id);
-
   m_local_variables[toOpaqueUid(var_id)] = var_sp;
   return var_sp;
 }
diff --git a/lldb/test/Shell/SymbolFile/NativePDB/inline_sites.test b/lldb/test/Shell/SymbolFile/NativePDB/inline_sites.test
--- a/lldb/test/Shell/SymbolFile/NativePDB/inline_sites.test
+++ b/lldb/test/Shell/SymbolFile/NativePDB/inline_sites.test
@@ -71,6 +71,7 @@
 # CHECK:         Blocks: id = {{.*}}, range = [0x140001000-0x140001046)
 # CHECK-NEXT:            id = {{.*}}, ranges = [0x140001004-0x140001039)[0x14000103f-0x140001046), name = "Namespace1::foo", decl = a.h:4
 # CHECK:       LineEntry: [0x0000000140001004-0x000000014000100c): /tmp/a.h:5
+# CHECK-NEXT:  Variable: id = {{.*}}, name = "x", type = "int", valid ranges = <block>, location = <empty>, decl =
 # CHECK-NEXT:  Variable: id = {{.*}}, name = "foo_local", type = "int", valid ranges = <block>, location = [0x0000000140001004, 0x0000000140001039) -> DW_OP_breg7 RSP+44
 # CHECK-NEXT:  Variable: id = {{.*}}, name = "argc", type = "int", valid ranges = <block>, location = [0x0000000140001000, 0x000000014000102d) -> DW_OP_reg26 XMM9
 # CHECK-NEXT:  Variable: id = {{.*}}, name = "argv", type = "char **", valid ranges = <block>, location = [0x0000000140001000, 0x0000000140001045) -> DW_OP_reg3 RBX
@@ -83,6 +84,7 @@
 # CHECK:         Blocks: id = {{.*}}, range = [0x140001000-0x140001046)
 # CHECK-NEXT:            id = {{.*}}, ranges = [0x140001004-0x140001039)[0x14000103f-0x140001046), name = "Namespace1::foo", decl = a.h:4
 # CHECK:       LineEntry: [0x0000000140001010-0x0000000140001018): /tmp/a.h:7
+# CHECK-NEXT:  Variable: id = {{.*}}, name = "x", type = "int", valid ranges = <block>, location = <empty>, decl =
 # CHECK-NEXT:  Variable: id = {{.*}}, name = "foo_local", type = "int", valid ranges = <block>, location = [0x0000000140001004, 0x0000000140001039) -> DW_OP_breg7 RSP+44
 # CHECK-NEXT:  Variable: id = {{.*}}, name = "argc", type = "int", valid ranges = <block>, location = [0x0000000140001000, 0x000000014000102d) -> DW_OP_reg26 XMM9
 # CHECK-NEXT:  Variable: id = {{.*}}, name = "argv", type = "char **", valid ranges = <block>, location = [0x0000000140001000, 0x0000000140001045) -> DW_OP_reg3 RBX
@@ -99,6 +101,7 @@
 # CHECK:       LineEntry: [0x000000014000101c-0x0000000140001022): /tmp/b.h:5
 # CHECK-NEXT:  Variable: id = {{.*}}, name = "x", type = "int", valid ranges = <block>, location = [0x000000014000101c, 0x000000014000101e) -> DW_OP_reg24 XMM7
 # CHECK-NEXT:  Variable: id = {{.*}}, name = "bar_local", type = "int", valid ranges = <block>, location = [0x000000014000101c, 0x0000000140001039) -> DW_OP_breg7 RSP+52
+# CHECK-NEXT:  Variable: id = {{.*}}, name = "x", type = "int", valid ranges = <block>, location = <empty>, decl =
 # CHECK-NEXT:  Variable: id = {{.*}}, name = "foo_local", type = "int", valid ranges = <block>, location = [0x0000000140001004, 0x0000000140001039) -> DW_OP_breg7 RSP+44
 # CHECK-NEXT:  Variable: id = {{.*}}, name = "argc", type = "int", valid ranges = <block>, location = [0x0000000140001000, 0x000000014000102d) -> DW_OP_reg26 XMM9
 # CHECK-NEXT:  Variable: id = {{.*}}, name = "argv", type = "char **", valid ranges = <block>, location = [0x0000000140001000, 0x0000000140001045) -> DW_OP_reg3 RBX
@@ -118,6 +121,7 @@
 # CHECK-NEXT:  Variable: id = {{.*}}, name = "x", type = "int", valid ranges = <block>, location = [0x000000014000102a, 0x0000000140001039) -> DW_OP_reg24 XMM7
 # CHECK-NEXT:  Variable: id = {{.*}}, name = "func_local", type = "int", valid ranges = <block>, location = [0x000000014000102a, 0x0000000140001039) -> DW_OP_breg7 RSP+48
 # CHECK-NEXT:  Variable: id = {{.*}}, name = "bar_local", type = "int", valid ranges = <block>, location = [0x000000014000101c, 0x0000000140001039) -> DW_OP_breg7 RSP+52
+# CHECK-NEXT:  Variable: id = {{.*}}, name = "x", type = "int", valid ranges = <block>, location = <empty>, decl =
 # CHECK-NEXT:  Variable: id = {{.*}}, name = "foo_local", type = "int", valid ranges = <block>, location = [0x0000000140001004, 0x0000000140001039) -> DW_OP_breg7 RSP+44
 # CHECK-NEXT:  Variable: id = {{.*}}, name = "argc", type = "int", valid ranges = <block>, location = [0x0000000140001000, 0x000000014000102d) -> DW_OP_reg26 XMM9
 # CHECK-NEXT:  Variable: id = {{.*}}, name = "argv", type = "char **", valid ranges = <block>, location = [0x0000000140001000, 0x0000000140001045) -> DW_OP_reg3 RBX
@@ -138,6 +142,7 @@
 # CHECK:         Blocks: id = {{.*}}, range = [0x140001000-0x140001046)
 # CHECK-NEXT:            id = {{.*}}, ranges = [0x140001004-0x140001039)[0x14000103f-0x140001046), name = "Namespace1::foo", decl = a.h:4
 # CHECK:       LineEntry: [0x0000000140001044-0x0000000140001046): /tmp/a.h:8
+# CHECK-NEXT:  Variable: id = {{.*}}, name = "x", type = "int", valid ranges = <block>, location = <empty>, decl =
 # CHECK-NEXT:  Variable: id = {{.*}}, name = "foo_local", type = "int", valid ranges = <block>, location = [0x0000000140001044, 0x0000000140001046) -> DW_OP_breg7 RSP+44
 # CHECK-NEXT:  Variable: id = {{.*}}, name = "argc", type = "int", valid ranges = <block>, location = [0x0000000140001044, 0x0000000140001045) -> DW_OP_reg26 XMM9
 # CHECK-NEXT:  Variable: id = {{.*}}, name = "argv", type = "char **", valid ranges = <block>, location = [0x0000000140001000, 0x0000000140001045) -> DW_OP_reg3 RBX